swazi soiree

By unknown -
05 September 2008 - 02:00

LONDON - 19 August 2008, Lefa Tsutsulupa of South Africa in action during the International Friendly match between South Africa and Australia at Loftus Road in London, England. Photo by Getty / Gallo Images\n\nGRADUATED: Amabinneplaas' Lefa Tsutsulupa has been promoted to the Bafana Bafana squad. page 43, sow

Linda Moreotsene

Linda Moreotsene

Amabinneplaas coach Serame Letsoaka is welcoming the international friendly against Swaziland and will use it as preparation for the African National Championships.

Letsoaka's team has been invited to Swaziland to play that country's national team as part of the 40/40 celebrations which mark King Mswati's 40th birthday and the 40th anniversary of Swaziland's independence from Great Britain.

Letsoaka won the Cosafa tournament in June with his team, and some players, such as Moroka Swallows' Lefa Tsutsulupa, have been promoted to Bafana Bafana after shining at that tournament.

This is great, Letsoaka said, but it still presents him with a challenge of finding players who can be ready by next month to face Zimbabwe in the African National Championships.

"Our objective is to observe combinations and to basically put together a new team, as we now have three new players in the team. But we are honored to play against the Swazis and will continue looking at the big picture, of grooming players for a bigger stage," Letsoaka said.

Swazi coach Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba has bemoaned the unavailability of some of his players, due to the belligerence of their teams.

South African-based players such as SuperSport United's Dennis Masina, Jomo Cosmos' Siza Dlamini and Wanda Nhleko of Mpumalanga Black Aces will not be part of Mashaba's team, since they were not released.

"We do not want to keep writing to Fifa in Zurich to sort out our problems in Africa. This is a Fifa date and clubs should have released the players,' said Mashaba.

He will have to depend on home-based talent such as Green Mamba goalkeeper Njabulo Simelane and Mbabane Swallows' right-back Dennis Sakudze.